In 1994, Archie comics made news with the publication of the Love Showdown arc. This was an arc that spanned four Archie titles, and sold itself as the mother of all Betty and Veronica battles. The battle to end all battles. The world of Archie and friends might never be the same. Today, we know that it can never happen. Or at least we are quite sure that it can never happen. Bucky and Jason Todd live again, but Archie will never make the choice, and Veronica and Betty are forever tied in a never ending war.

So with Archie marries…, they got smarter (it is pretty smart with Showdown) and went with the “what if” scenario instead. And they even went both ways. It turned out great. The story arc provided some of the best Archie stories I have ever read, I thought at first. Then, the truth dawned on me that it was a great read because it moved away from status quo. That, and Uslan’s superb script.

If you ask me, I prefer Archie’s life with Ronnie. Life with Betty does have its positive points, such as Archie having a career he enjoys. But still, life with Veronica seems to come with fewer struggles. The thing is, the fact that Archie Comics pulls off such a stunt tells us that there will never be any major changes to the status quo. Any changes they want to make, they can create another “what if”. On the bright side, Archie and friends will never have to face complicated continuity issues.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Went past Bras Basah Complex and saw a copy of The Complete Judge Dredd Case Files 01 on display at a secondhand bookshop. Bought it because I enjoy reading old comics more than new ones these days. (jia lat)

Brought it to the cashier, paid for it and the counter girl put the book in a Comics Mart plastic bag.

Oh mygosh

So that's where some of the stocks from mart went to.Heard that the mart folks have decided to come back to Singapore to face the music?But unconfirmed la.

Monday, December 13, 2010

One of the fun things about comics conventions is the collecting of sketches from your friends and the artists you like.

I tend not to be pushy about such things, so when I was at San Diego 3 years ago, it didn't even occur to me to do that.

So there I was just hanging around and saw that people were lining up to get Matt Wagner's signature. There were just 3 or 4 people in the line, so I join in as I don't bother with the long queues. Thought I just get him to sign the programme book.

But everyone in line was getting him to sketch something. I was the only one not having a sketch book in hand. Without asking, the lady behind (who was there to help her boyfriend to collect autographs and sketches, so you know she was nice) gave me a piece of art paper to get his sketch. That was a nice SDCC gesture. You learn about the ethics of queuing up for autographs/sketches and simply to chill and have a chat with the people in the line.

I bought a small sketch at the con after that and have been collecting since - STGCC, SWF and while we were waiting for lunch to start at Adrian Teo's wedding.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

I return to Eileen Chang every few years. She remains the master of the short story from the early 20th Century. Whether you read her in English or Chinese, she is devastating.

I recently read a Penguin collection of her short stories translated in English, which includes the classic, Red Rose White Rose. I have read this before in Chinese but have forgotten that the Red Rose character was an overseas Chinese from Nanyang. You see, back then, girls from Singapore or Malaya were the 'bad girls'. If you want to marry a nice girl from a good family, find one from Shanghai or Beijing.

That's a total flip from today. PRC girls are bad, or 'crows' to use a term from some years ago.

So for all those brothers out there who got burnt and got their heart broken by PRC singers, enjoy the irony.

Oh yeah, Red Rose White Rose will be staged at next year's Huayi Festival. Should be good.

Friday, December 3, 2010

11 Dec, Sat. 1215 – 1300 Asian Identity in comics in the midst of Manga and Superheroes: What will it take for Singapore to become a comic publishing hub by 2020? Why should Singapore aspire to be a comic hub? Panelists: Otto Fong, Lim Cheng Tju, Sonny Liew & Tan Eng Huat

In conjunction with the STGCC scholars from universities across the region and internationally will examine the richness of popular culture in Asia with its intermingling of the local and international and the growing impact of Asia and Asians on global forms. How do Games, Toys and Comics shape and display the values of Asian cultures. How can we understand the popularity of these forms globally. What is similar and what is distinctive about these in different Asian countries. What is the background of this current boom? And as Toys, Games, and Comics converge with other forms like film, television, and the internet what does the future hold for individual cultures? These issues and more will be examined in several academic sessions at the convention, organised by NUS, which are open to all registered attendees.